1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording device, and in particular, to an image recording device which records an image onto a light and heat sensitive recording material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional light recording systems such as silver halide photography, photographing is carried out by using a film such as a negative film, a positive film or the like. Image information recorded on a film which has been developed is optically printed onto a photographic printing paper, and the photographic printing paper is processed in processing solutions such that a print is obtained. A so-called color negative usually includes a layer which is exposed by blue light so as to form a yellow dye image, a layer which is exposed by green light to form a magenta dye image, and a layer which is exposed by red light so as to form a cyan dye image. At the time of developing processing, the developing agent is oxidized in a process in which the silver halide particles contained in the latent image are reduced into silver, and the dye image is formed by the reaction (coupling) of this oxidant and the coupler. The undeveloped silver halide and developed silver are removed by a bleaching fixing solution in a bleaching fixing process which follows the developing process. A color paper is exposed by light passing through the obtained negative dye image. The color paper is subjected to similar developing, bleaching and fixing processes such that a color print is obtained. As described above, the conventional light recording system is usually a wet process utilizing processing solutions, and there is the tendency for the size of the processing device to increase and processing costs to increase.
On the other hand, a simple and quick method utilizing heat development has been developed as a photosensitive material processing method utilizing silver halide. Products called PICTOGRAPHY and PICTROSTAT from Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. are known as examples of such a method. However, in such a heat developing method, dyes generated by heat development are transferred onto an image receiving material, and the receiving material is used as the print. A problem arises in that waste materials are generated.
In a completely dry system, in order to form an image recording system which does not generate waste materials, attention has been paid to a monosheet-type light and heat sensitive recording material which is such that the recording material is exposed by light such that a latent image is formed, and this latent image is developed by heat. The exposure is carried out by a digital exposure system.
Various types of conventional image recording devices equipped with digital exposure systems have been developed. Generally, in a digital exposure system, a light beam emitted from a semiconductor laser is modulated by image data. By rotating a polygon mirror at high speed, the light beam is deflected (main scanning), and the light beam reflected by the polygon mirror such as a galvano mirror or the like is subscanned, or main scanning is repeated while the recording medium is moved in a subscanning direction (or while the recording medium is step-moved). In this way, an image is recorded on the recording medium.
However, generally, when a complex scanning exposing system using a polygon mirror and the like is used, a problem arises in that the device becomes large. Further, the light and heat sensitive recording material has a low sensitivity to light as compared with that of a conventional photosensitive material using silver halide. Thus, problems arise in that it is difficult to make the scanning speed faster, and the recording time becomes long.
The present invention was developed in order to overcome the above-described drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device which is a completely dry system, which does not generate waste materials, whose exposure system is simple, and which is compact. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device which can carry out image recording at high speed. In order to achieve the above-described objects, a first aspect of the present invention is an image recording device for recording an image onto a light and heat sensitive recording material, the device comprising: (a) a conveying mechanism which conveys a light and heat sensitive recording material in a predetermined direction; (b) a light recording section including an exposure light source including a plurality of light emitting points aligned along a direction substantially orthogonal to the predetermined direction, the light recording section subjecting the light and heat sensitive recording material to light from the exposure light source to form a latent image on the light and heat sensitive recording material; (c) a heat development section which develops the latent image of the light and heat sensitive recording material by heating the light and heat sensitive recording material; and (d) a light fixing section for fixing the developed image of the light and heat sensitive recording material by irradiating light onto the light and heat sensitive recording material.
In the first aspect of the present invention, when the light and heat sensitive recording material is supplied from the accommodating section, the light and heat sensitive recording material is conveyed in the subscanning direction by a conveying means. At the light recording section, the light and heat sensitive recording material is exposed such that a latent image is recorded thereon, and the latent image is developed by heat at the heat developing section. Then, at the light fixing section, light is illuminated such that the developed image is fixed. In this way, developing is carried out by heat development, and the developed image is fixed by light fixing in which light is illuminated. Thus, processing solutions and image receiving members are not needed. Accordingly, in accordance with this image recording device, images can be recorded by a completely dry system, and no waste materials are generated at the time of image recording.
Further, in the first aspect of the present invention, at the light recording section, the light and heat sensitive recording material is conveyed by the conveying means in the subscanning direction. The light and heat sensitive recording material is exposed by the exposure light source which is provided with a large number of light emitting points which are aligned in the main scanning direction. A latent image is thereby recorded on the light and heat sensitive recording material. Therefore, there is no need to use a complex exposure system equipped with a polygon mirror or the like, and the device can be made compact. High speed image recording can be carried out without using a mechanism which moves the light emitting points.
The exposure light source can be formed by a self-luminous element. A light emitting diode, an inorganic or organic electroluminescent element, a semiconductor laser, a fluorescent display element or the like can be used as the self-luminous element. Further, the exposure light source can be formed by a light source and a transmittance converting element. A liquid crystal or a transmissive ferroelectric ceramic (such as PLZT) array or the like can be used as the transmittance converting element.
A second aspect of the present invention is an image recording device for recording an image corresponding to an image signal, onto a light and heat sensitive recording material, the device comprising: (a) a light recording section including a light source and a micromirror array comprising a plurality of micromirrors, the micromirrors including adjustable angles of reflection, which the light recording section adjusts on the basis of an image signal for exposing a light and heat sensitive recording material to form a latent image on the light and heat sensitive recording material corresponding to the image signal; (b) a heat developing section which subjects the light and heat sensitive recording material to heat to develop the latent image of the light and heat sensitive recording material; and (c) a light fixing section which irradiates the developed image of the light and heat sensitive recording material to fix the developed image.
In the second aspect of the present invention, a micromirror array is used. By adjusting the angles of reflection of the micromirrors on the basis of an image signal, the light and heat sensitive recording material supplied from the accommodating section is exposed such that a latent image is recorded thereon. Therefore, there is no need to move the light source in the main scanning direction and the subscanning direction, and exposure can be carried out without using a large number of light emitting points. Further, there is no need to use a complex exposure system equipped with a polygon mirror or the like. The device can be made compact, and high speed image recording can be carried out. A third aspect of the present invention is an image recording device for recording an image onto a light and heat sensitive recording material, the device comprising: (a) an accommodating section which accommodates a light and heat sensitive recording material; (b) a discharging section which discharges the light and heat sensitive recording material for which recording has been completed; (c) a conveyer, including conveying path joining the accommodating section and the discharging section, and along which the conveyers conveys light and heat sensitive recording material from the accommodating section to the discharging section; (d) a light recording section provided between the accommodating section and the discharging section, and positioned to oppose the light and heat sensitive recording material along at least a portion of the conveying path; (e) a heat developing section provided between the light recording section and the discharging section, provided to oppose at least one side of the conveying path; and (f) a light fixing section provided between the heat developing section and the discharging section, provided to oppose the light and heat sensitive recording material along at least a section of the conveying path.
A recording material which uses a composition which is hardened by light can be used as the light and heat sensitive recording material. In a case in which such a light and heat sensitive recording material is used, by exposing the recording material by light passing through or reflected from an image original, or by exposing the recording material by a light scanning modulated by image data, the composition, which is contained in the recording material and which is hardened by light, is exposed and is photocured, so that a latent image is formed. Thereafter, by heating the recording material, the components which are involved in color formation or decoloring of the non-hardened portions move into the recording material in accordance with the latent image, such that a color image is formed. Further, by illuminating light onto the surface of the recording material, the formed image is hardened and fixed, and the unneeded coloring components are decolored. This image recording method is useful not only in the case of recording a black-and-white image, but also in the case of recording a color image. Light and heat sensitive recording materials provided with the following light and heat sensitive recording layers (a) through (f) can be used as the light and heat sensitive recording material.
(a) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing a color forming component A encapsulated in heat-responsive microcapsules; and a photopolymerizable composition which is present outside of the heat-responsive microcapsules and which contains at least: a substantially colorless compound B which has in the same molecule a polymerizable group and a region which forms color upon reaction with the color forming component A, and a photopolymerization initiator.
(b) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing a color forming component A encapsulated in heat-responsive microcapsules; and a photopolymerizable composition which is present outside of the heat-responsive microcapsules and which contains at least: a substantially colorless compound C which forms color upon reaction with the color forming component A, a photopolymerizable compound D, and a photopolymerization initiator.
(c) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing a color forming component A encapsulated in heat-responsive microcapsules; and a photopolymerizable composition which is present outside of the heat-responsive microcapsules and which contains at least: a substantially colorless compound C which forms color upon reaction with the color forming component A, a photopolymerizable compound Dp which has a region which suppresses reaction of the color forming component A and the compound C, and a photopolymerization initiator.
(d) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing a substantially colorless compound C which is encapsulated in heat-responsive microcapsules and which forms color upon reaction with the color forming component A; and a photopolymerizable composition which is present outside of the heat-responsive microcapsules and contains at least: a color forming component A, a photopolymerizable compound D, and a photopolymerization initiator.
(e) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing an oxidant precursor E encapsulated in heat-responsive microcapsules, and outside of the heat-responsive microcapsules, an activating agent G which reacts with the oxidant precursor E to generate an oxidant F, and a dye forming coupler H which participates in a coupling reaction with the oxidant F to form a dye, the light and heat sensitive recording layer being a photocurable layer whose illuminated portions are hardened by illumination of light.
(f) A light and heat sensitive recording layer containing an oxidant precursor E outside of heat-responsive microcapsules, and encapsulated within the heat-responsive microcapsules, an activating agent G which reacts with the oxidant precursor E to generate an oxidant F, and a dye forming coupler H which participates in a coupling reaction with the oxidant F to form a dye, the light and heat sensitive recording layer being a photocurable layer whose illuminated portions are hardened by illumination of light.